Your bird cages should be a haven for your pet birds. But if you don’t regularly clean and maintain them, they can end up dirty and infiltrated by gruesome mice.
As a bird owner, you should know that birds easily attract mice. Rats see birds as a great source of food.
They won’t hesitate to enter the bird cage and eat your bird when they see one.
So, how do you combat the wise and aggressive mice?
One interesting fact about mice is that they are excellent climbers. Combine their climbing ability with hunger, and what do you get? An aggressive mouse who will do everything it takes to reach the bird cage and eat your bird.
How can you outsmart them? Here are practical ways:
- Seal holes
- Keep your bird cages as elevated as possible
- Always keep your birdcage clean
- Keep dustbins away from the cage
- Set up rat traps
From keeping your bird cages clean to sealing holes, elevating them, and setting up rat traps – there’s a hack that works for you. Keep on reading to learn more.
Ways To Keep Mice Out of Your Bird Cage
If you don’t do something about the mice entering your bird cages immediately, you risk your pet bird’s health.
Mice are common carriers of certain diseases that could harm birds, leading to death in worst-case scenarios.
This is why keeping mice out of your bird cages is essential and should be a priority.
1. Seal Holes
One of the important steps to protecting your pet birds from mice is ensuring your bird cage has no holes or entry points where rats can go in.
If you see potential spaces, seal the hole by caulking it or placing any durable material to not be broken down by the mice.
Remember one thing: Rats are intelligent and strong enough to dig new holes. After caulking a few holes, search for any potential weak spot which could turn into a hole when mice attempt to explore through it.
2. Keep Your Bird Cages As Elevated as Possible
Yes, mice can climb. But their climbing abilities have limits too. Plus, mice are not effective jumpers.
Outsmart the mice by placing your bird cages as elevated and above the ground as possible. A great rule of thumb is to keep bird cages as high as three feet above the ground.
You can also try to hang your birdcage from a ceiling or a tree branch. This minimizes rat exposure, which protects your bird and keeps it safe inside the bird cage.
3. Always Clean Your Bird Cage
One of the common reasons why rats enjoy going in your bird cages and stealing your pet’s food is because the cage is dirty.
Of course, the easy way to fix this is by regularly cleaning your bird’s shelter. Always remember that a clean cage ensures your bird’s environment is fresh and conducive to living.
When your bird cage is shabby and filthy, rats see this as an opportunity to look for a good hiding place inside the cage.
Every evening, make it a habit to clean the bird cage and remove leftover bird food and scat. It may sound disgusting, but rats can also eat bird scat.
Remember to disinfect your bird cage regularly, at least daily or every other day.
4. Keep Dustbins Away From the Cage
This is important. Never place your birdcage near dustbins and trashcans. Or better yet, put your dustbins opposite or across the birdcage.
Rats are attracted to dustbins mainly because they contain filthy trash. Dustbins can also serve as a place for mice to look for food and nest.
Imagine when you put bird cages near your dustbins. After the mice scout the trashcans for food, they automatically turn to the bird cage to continue looking for something to feed on. This puts your pet birds in danger.
5. Set Up Rat Traps
Wild rats can get aggressive and end up harassing your birds.
And if you cannot outsmart them by doing the following measures above, it’s time to set up rat traps. These are effective methods to get rid entirely of rats at home.
The most common rat traps are live traps, glue boards, and snap traps. Among the three, glue boards and snap traps are the most inhumane.
People only resort to these options when they have exhausted all the humane hacks in keeping mice away from bird cages.
The safest trap is a live trap, which traps the mouse alive so you can still release it outside your house.
Set up these rat traps near your bird cage, and check them regularly.
Be Smarter Than Mice and Protect Your Bird Cage
Your pet birds deserve your love and care, and protecting them from a mouse attack is one of the best ways to show them this.
Always start with the most humane hacks. Clean your bird cage regularly, seal any potential weak spots, elevate your bird cage, and place dustbins away.
If these don’t work, consider checking out effective mouse traps.
These tips can help your birds live peacefully and healthily without dealing with wild mice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Ammonia Scare Mice Away From Your Bird Cage?
Yes, ammonia is a sharp-smelling compound that mice try to avoid because of their sensitive smell. This means placing ammonia scents near your bird cage can keep them away.
However, take precautions when using ammonia to scare them because it can kill mice. Instead of directly using ammonia, you can mix it with detergent and water. This solution is also effective.
What Are Rat Repellents You Can Use?
Rat repellents include peppermint and clove essential oils. Their sensitive smells can trigger mice and make them stay as far away as possible from your bird cage.
